Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is saying privately he now won’t attempt to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on the wiretapping of al Qaeda suspects. Instead, he’ll merely support another 18-month extension of the six-month-old Protect America Act. WSJ
Now I saw this news yesterday on Daily Kos and my search skilz are not such in the morning that I care to look it up and the Beltway Bozos are not back in session ’til next week so no big deal says I thinking there plenty of time to muster up some outrage.
What I saw this morning on Atrios linking Open Left made me spew my coffee (which I haven’t even had yet).
If you can’t tell I think this no victory. The Protect America Act was a horrible capitulation of Congress and a stain and a blot on the Constitution. Any extension at all is unacceptable. Six months ago it was a bad idea. IT STILL IS!
The fact that Harry has found some spine on a clear corporate giveaway after the revelations that unlimited spying on citizens without warrants was willing acceded to by the Telecoms BEFORE 9/11 AND those greedy bastards were willing to sell out our supposed National Security interests because we were late with the bribe check…
Heck.
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I ♥ Sunday. Good for my low blood pressure.
another Church Commission? I don’t know who would fit that bill.
Ek, you appear and disappear like the wind. I don’t think you are fictional, I think you might be an ultra secret super hero.
Reid reminds me of a jellyfish, except they have a purpose, and I am unclear on his? Quisling?
we replace Reid with Dodd? Anybody know? Or is that all decided in Beltway backrooms?
passage of this “temporary” legislation that killed my hopes of ever seeing the criminals impeached. Once Dems signed on to this, they became complicit in the crimes.
And not only that, our new Senator from MN, Amy Klobuchar, voted for it. Not many around here noticed because I brought it up in conversation several times and not one person knew. I sent her an angry email saying that it was votes like this that were driving support away from the Dems. She sent back some form response full of platitudes about “security” and the temporary nature of the bill – we’re going to fix it – yadda, yadda, yadda. Ms. Klobuchar is going to have to do some mighty spectacular things to ever win back my support after that.
eventually people will get distracted by something shiny, and they can slip it under the radar.
is designed to provide cover for Dem candidates, especially presidential candidates, before the upcoming election. By doing this, they do not have to take a stand on this issue and can not be held accountable for their votes.
that when he sells his soul he’s likely to get paid for it… with something equally worthless?
telecom immunity was a distraction from the fact that the entire thing should have been scrapped.